If I were obsessed with pads, say, sitting upright in bed at 2:17 a.m., debating the merits of taco versus hinged folds, I'd jot down the features that, in addition to the basics of foam and straps, every bouldering pad should have. The list would go:...

Including an air mattress in a review of breakthrough gear might seem like a stretch, until you spend a chilly night shivering instead of snoozing, and arise cadaver stiff, grumpier than hell, and unable to high step onto your project's critical, nipple-high nubbin....

I won't mince words. I like this pad. A lot. It has everything I want....

The Butler is an inch-thick pad that zips up like a gun case. Store all your gear in it for a day of sport climbing or bouldering, and wear it as a pack, or stuff it inside a full-sized crash pad....

For the discriminating boulderer who wants the texture just so, the Black Diamond Necessaire contains three different brushes built for fluffing every type of hold, from plastic crimps to lichen-covered granite slopers to dirty sandstone pockets....

Building the perfect climbing glove is as tall an order as building the perfect woman (or man). The glove has to have a deft touch, great grip, be easy to close, and be close fitting and warm....

I sent The Rebirther, a boulder problem in Yosemite, second try. I heard it has taken far better climbers a week. My beta: a boob jam.

Boobs can be a girl's best friends, but like any friendship, they require attention....

In the past two weeks I have redpointed six 5.13s. I've never sent six 5.13s in a year, let alone in two weeks at the beginning of a season. Usually at this time of year I am struggling to get up my warmups. What's the difference? ...

Imagine a weatherproof, wind-stable tent weighing less than a pound and a half. It sets up easily, sleeps two and packs down small enough to fit into a pocket....

I recently climbed the Mountaineer's Route on Mount Whitney and slept on the summit with a 6-ounce Solo Tarp to protect me from hail and rain. No typo, that's six ounces, buddy!...

When I was living in New England and, as a mountaineer, was greener than the hills of Vermont, I asked a British climber what he ate at high altitude. The Brit, who had climbed in the Alps, Andes and Himalaya, said, Don't worry, lad, if you go hungry it's good for the soul....

Earlier this year, a rash of studies suggested that the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) mimics estrogen, the primary female sex hormone. Scientists speculated that BPA could be causing problems like breast enlargement and reduced sperm counts in men. Concurrent with the studies, BPA was shown to leach from plastic water bottles, the kind most of us climbers use....

Thirty years ago Cascade Designs revolutionized sleeping outside with their Therm-a-Rest air/foam pads. Now they've done it again with an air mattress. Everyone knows that an air mattress is comfortable, but allows convective heat loss, making them just about worthless in cold temperatures....

Everyone liked the concept behind this board: small, simple and inexpensive. Not only does this tiny, 4.5-by-18.5-inch unit sneak in where larger boards can't, it's compact enough to toss in the trunk....

Hot damn, a recovery drink for the cold-weather athlete! I like the sound of that and the taste of it, too. I've experimented with various supplements to help me stay fit and climb all the time. ...

Tips from the pros for choosing the best camera for your climbing photography....

The advice you often hear from so-called experts is that supplements are a waste of your money.

It seems like sound advice, and the yogic, Whole Foods-shopping part of me believes it. However, my East Coast go-getter side wants a competitive edge and the ability to warm up on Joe Kinder's projects....

These new spectacles use mirrors to let belayers comfortably watch their partners without having to crane their necks back into an uncomfortable position and risk belayer's neck, essentially an irritation of the joints of the cervical spine due to prolonged extension. ...

This mid-sized pad has a convenient messenger-bag-style shoulder strap in place of a backpack-style suspension, two side carrying handles and three speed buckles. That's where the amenities end....

The Eddy is no Grigri, and it costs twice as much. Need to read more? OK: The Eddy, Edelrid's new auto-locking device, intends to improve on what could be perceived as Grigri weaknesses -- those being the danger of holding the lever open or not clipping the two side plates together....